DHAKA, Jan 4, 2024 (BSS) - Society of the Welfare of Autistic Children (SWAC) School has been a godsend for the children with autism as the specialised educational institution is providing lesson and training to individuals with neurological disorder to help them lead a happy life.  
 
Nisha Roy (pseudonym), a mother of an autistic child, and some other identical women established SWAC School at Baitul Aman Housing Society in city's Adabar in 2000 to assist children with autism in flourishing their talent and improving their living standard.   
 
After giving birth to a baby girl and finding her abnormal, Nisha decided to do something for such kind of children. From this thinking, the school in principle was established.
 
Nisha was married off to a small businessman in 1998 when she was only 17 years old. Just one year after their marriage, she became mother of a baby girl. But, during one and a half year, the couple understood that their child is not normal. Nisha's struggling life with her special baby then began.
 
She communicated with a doctor and could know that her baby is autistic. The doctor advised her on how to deal with such kind of baby.
 
Later, Nisha also acquainted with other women having autistic children, paving the way to take decision to open SWAC School.
 
Chairman of the school Subarna Chakma said the special children are given lesson on the basis of their age in the school while they are also provided with vocational training to make them self-reliant in future.
 
She said SWAC provides intensive individualized instruction to children with autism, targeting the broad range of their educational, behavioural, social, communicational, daily living, cognitive and motor dysfunctions that affect them.
 
Due to having sensitiveness in autistic children, particular care is provided to maintain a safe and healthy indoor environment, where students may function at their very best, she added.
 
Subarna said scientifically validated Latest Evidence Based Practices for autism such as Structured Teaching, DTT, Social Story, PECS, etc are used as teaching methodology in SWAC.
 
Sabina Hossain, secretary of SWAC said, "Special attention is given to the factors that motivate each individual to learn. Through the daily measurement of progress for achieving individual goals, teachers can track the student's progress".
 
Data analysis allows the team to make changes in each student's program to achieve maximum progress, she said.
 
She added: "Autism is not a curse. It's a neurological problem. They would be an asset for a society if they get proper care and facilities".
 
Sabina also urged the affluent persons to extend their cooperation in building such organizations for the special children.
 
The government is also taking different programmes for the autistic children, she said, adding, "We should extend our hand to the government."
 
Head of Centre for Neuro Development and Autism in Children at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Dr Shaheena Akther said autism is neurological problem. The three main areas affected by the disorder are -- speech or communication, social skills, and behaviour, she added.
 
Individuals with autism obviously do not look different from others, but they may be impaired in their speech, behaviour and learning, she said.
 
Dr Shaheena said the symptoms appear before the age of three years, though it may be diagnosed after the age of three years in many cases. Almost all parents notice symptoms within the first two years of their child's birth, she continued.
 
A child with autism may appear unaware of his surroundings, Shaheena said.
 
She added, "Autistic child may also fail to respond to the sights and sounds of a social world. Often, with limited speech and language skills, the child follows a different development pattern compared to other children in the same age group. He/she can have difficulty in playing with other children and making friends. Alone, the child engages in restricted, repetitive behaviour that is hard to understand".